Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-12-29
BACK To THE OLD PLACE.


and Thought of Mother.
In the quiet waiting room of the Graud
Trunk depot, in Lewiston, sat a gray
whlskered old fellow in a broad -brimmsd
hat. He had been studying timetable
with some perplexity, aud had just laid
1t aside. A question from him, relative
to the starting OF the trains for Oxford
county, was introduction enough. His
voice was hoarse, but not unpleasant His
infection was odd. Being down easter"
IL was safe for the writer 10 guess that
the stranger was from the west.
From the westY'
you bet was the reply.
"Goiug to Oxford eounty9"
"rhe's whore I'm going"
Conversation was desultory until the
westerner opened up.
Said he; ITS thirty-two year since |
see the hills of Maine. / was raised M
in old Oxford county. l reckon amt
thought o. these hills since | were boy
in eopper-toed boots, with good old
daddy-too good. God bless him, for
nary such youugster as | were. left
home when | were 16 and went out west.
| ooasted eight years, and in '55 went on
deep sea voyage and brought mp in Cal
ifornia. I've been there ever since. Have
come back now
"Aloneyn
"AloneS Yea, alone! That's the bother
of it, my boy. Nary darned soul there
nor here IA / knows of that cares whether
get here OF not-a lonesome old man.
Don't you do it. Take my word for it,.
it's awful, For thirty-dve year nothing
TO think of but work and dig and dive.
No wife. Never had none. No friends,
except boys in the diggings whom | first
went there, and in town whore I've been
ruunin' little business of my own for
the past eight years. Nothing ahead of
me for the past twenty year but getting
rich, No letters from anybody as knove
of. Nothing in my dreams but money.
Nothing else,in the visions OF the noun
tain peaks, nothing else in the changin'
surface OF the Pacific whenever I've
caught sight of it. I've been sordid,
mean, lowlived skin-fint part of the
time, and roisterin', hell-of a. poor fol
low the rest of il. Lookin' back, IL makes
a lump in my throet, boy, it do, honest,
and | agree that wasted life is the aw-
AAltHh hhluk bNhtAtu ttit NhhDP1 VI Dlhh-
II makes me sick. don't like TO think
of it. like 20 talk, ye see, to keep from
thinking of it,"
"Goin' tack to the old placer"
"rhe old placer Eli Yes, the old
place. Leastwise that's what | reckon on,
What do you suppose made meY Hadn't
thought o. home for forty-iye years
Hadn't been TO church any 60 speak of
1t were only just a song rs did 1t. A lit
tie old-fashioned song that heard in the
evening three months ago, bout mother
who wanted 20 know where her wanderin
boy was. 1t came up o the night way of
there beyond the mountains ana
thought of my old mother, God bless her
and OF the old place. | couldn't sleoI
! for cent that night | turned ant
twisted and sweat great drops. KEEP
| thinkin' about home and about all IL
ever read or heard about it, Seems al
though | could see the old lady's fast
| looking into mine, with eyes full of love
as good MS she did when ] was a kid.
thought it over for day or two, Lift
didn't look half so rosy out there. Fac
is, wanted TO 20 home, Just home, nc
where else, and you bet | started when
made up my mind. think | only kin
o. want to see the grave of my mothe
and fix up the family lot, you know, and
Go you know, my boy, have been sort {
holdin' on TO have good cry, (somethin
| amt known for thirty year., and whel
I'm done with that, and when I've shie'
around aud seen all | want to OF the oil
place, I'm goin' to Boston To see n broth
er of mine aud go back again beyond III
Rockies and die there with my face to
ward the east. ! could afford to do il
and / amt the sort to be ashamed of il
Let me tell you one thing, though, all o
life and all it's gold amt worth the los
OF your mothers love. Put that down t
keep For if you was mo You would b
able 10 prove it, aud you wouldn't ru
any risk OF being lured away from IL b
any of the other things of earth. 1t
the best thing the Lord gives US, and th
last thing, I'm thinking, He ought to TAX
away